Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1887-08-19
easNps Asour COWS.
Folklore Current Among the fe"'""'' =
various Parts OF Europe.

g,,ktore Current Among tine
various Parts OF Europe.
7, swabia aud Switzerland the COWS
.re MIXED through a perforated stone
..,h;ch Il believed to have fallen rom
tho clouds. and is therefore called
..cowstone., In speaking OF bloody
m,lk y we may note here that TINS =
s,,nnosed to be the result not only Oh
witehcraft, but Of quite dinerens
oa,,s. Tins. in Yorkshire and some
narts of Germany, If a robin is kii,eu II
e snnposed that one of the cows belong
inc to the person or to the family o. 'no
nsrson who killed it will give "bioouy
milk" The accuracy and truth OF tne
following curious circumstance is ~
legged to have recently been voucneu
for; A Young woman. who had oeen
living as a servantiu a farmhouse one
day told her relatives how the COW
which had belonged to her master naa
given bloody milk, after one OF the ialn-
;lv had killed robin. A male cousin
.: hers, disbelieving the tale, went ou'
md shot robin purposely. Next morn
to- her pnole's best COW, healthy one
Of thirteen years, that had borne nine
calves without mishap, gave haif :
canful of this bloody milk, ana aiu
80 for three days in succession, morning
and evening. The liquid was OF PINK
color which, after standing in the can,
became clearer. and when poured OUT
the "blood,," or the deep red something
like it, was seen to have settled 70 sn0
bottom. The young man who shot the
robin MIXED the COW himself on .ne
second morning, he being still inoredu-
Ions. The farmer was sent for, and the
matter furnished talk to the whole VII
lage. Formerly at Walton-le-dale' En-
gland, II a farmer killed swallow !.
was believed that his cows would yieid
bl, 49, stead of milk. This supersti-
ton is also prevalent in the greater
part of Switzerland. On this account
few like to kill or even injure . ROBIN
redbreast.
Like the horse, the COW enters into
fairy lore. According to legend cur
rent in Carmarthenshire, Wales. there
was in days gone by band OF elm
ladies, who used to haunt a lake in the
the neighborhood Of Aberdovey. They
usually appeared at dusk, clad in green
accompanied by their milk-white
hounds and their droves Of beautiful
white cows. One day an old farmer
had the good luck to catch one of these
mystic animals. 1t had fallen in love
with the cattle Of his herd. From that
dav the farmers fortune was made.
Such calves, such milk, such butter and
such cheese that came from the milk
white cow had never been seen in
Wales before. The farmer accordingly
soon became rich and the owner of vast
herds. One day, however, he took it
| into his head that the elin COW was
growing old and that he had better fat
ten her for the market. On the day ap-
pointed for the slaughter people came
from great distances to see the wonder
full animal; and as the butchers baud-
geon was severing its head from in
body fearful shrek resounded through
the air, and the astonished assembly be-
held a green lady, crying with load
voice:
| "Oome, yellow anvil, stray he1as,
| Speckled one Of the lake,
And Of the hornless Dodtn,
| Arise, come homew
Whereupon not only did the elfin COW
arise and 60 home, but all her progeny
went with her. disappearing in the air
over the hill tops. Only one COW re-
manned of all the farmers herds, and,
lol she had turned from mi1ky-white to
raven black. The farmer, in a fit OF
despair, drowned himself. and the black
COW became the progenitor Of the ex-
listing race Of Welsh black cattle. CWirt
Skies British COLLINS, 1879, page 37.)
A similar story exists in Ireland
called The Legend Of Tough Cur" 1t
seems that certain farmer had come
meadow land by the water side; but, in
spite of all his efforts, the grass was al
ways destroyed. Driven at last to des-
perat ton, he consulted one of his friends,
who advised him to watch his land BY
nighttime, in the chance Of discovering
his secret enemy. Accordingly the
farmer, with his friend and his two sons,
one moonlight night silently watched
at corner of the meadow. They had
not waited long whea, moving on the sur
face of the lake toward the meadow, they
saw great fat COW followed by seven
milk white heifer. On giving chase
to these the COW suddenly disappeared
in the lake, but the seven heifers were
successfully driven up from the water
side. The farmer took possession of
these; but one night the gate of the
field being left open, they disappeared,
and it was generally supposed that they
had made their way into the lake again.
There is a lake in County Tipperary
called The Lake of the Cow from
a legend somewhat similar to that of
Tough Cur, The horns of the cow are
said to be so long that, when the water
is low, the tips of them may be plainly
seen above it. Although, too, the popu-
lar song informs us that the Lake o,
Blarney is
STORED with perches,
Ana comedy cells in the verdant mud,
Besides good leeches and groves of heech..
All ranged in order for to guard the iood
yet out Of this lake two cows have been
scan to proceed. which are known. ac.
eording to Crooker's Fairy Legend, o,
the south of Ireland, to have COMMITTEES
considerable damage in the sdiaoen,
meadow-lands and corn fislds.-N q
Times Democrat.